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6:03 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

After Riots, Scandal Sparked Reform In LAPD

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 8:28 pm

It's been 20 years since Los Angeles erupted in riots following the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King. There have been many changes in the city since those days of fire, looting and public discord, but perhaps the biggest changes can be seen in L.A.'s police department.

On a drive around the heart of South Central L.A., there are still plenty of weed-filled lots where businesses that burned down in the riots used to stand. There's also still a lot of crime.

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The Two-Way
5:56 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Marines Decide To Dismiss Sergeant For Facebook Comments About Obama

Credit Facebook.com
Sgt. Gary Stein.

A U.S. Marine sergeant who posted critical comments about President Obama on his Facebook page will be dismissed with an "other-than-honorable discharge," the Marine Corps said today.

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It's All Politics
5:05 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Gingrich's Unconventional White House Bid: A Retrospective

Credit Rick Wood / MCT/Landov
Newt Gingrich speaks at Marquette University in Milwaukee on March 29.

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 8:28 pm

Newt Gingrich has experienced a long slide since March 6, when he won Georgia's Republican primary. It was his second and final victory of the campaign season, but Gingrich fought to stay in the race through a Southern strategy that never caught on.

On Wednesday, a source close to the Gingrich campaign told NPR that he would officially suspend his campaign next week, and was likely to formally endorse Mitt Romney.

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Middle East
5:04 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

U.N. Monitors Fail To Halt Violence In Syria

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 2:03 am

The U.N.-brokered cease-fire in Syria keeps unraveling. Syrian government troops were supposed to pull their tanks and soldiers out of cities and towns, while rebels were supposed to lay down their arms.

Yet hundreds of people have died in recent days, according to activists. And in some areas, visits by U.N. observers have been followed by intense violence.

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Shots - Health Blog
5:02 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Teenagers' Latest Bad Idea: Drinking Hand Sanitizer

Credit iStockphoto.com
Keep the sanitizer on your hands and out of your mouth.

Originally published on Fri April 27, 2012 9:50 am

Teenagers can be pretty creative in their pursuit of a cheap buzz. Last month we reported on the "cinnamon challenge," which involves snarfing down a spoonful of the powdered spice.

Now we've got teens quaffing hand sanitizer, and ending up sick in the ER.

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The Two-Way
4:50 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Trayvon Martin's Mother: Committed To Getting Justice, If It Takes 'Rest Of My Life'

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, speaks as Trayvon's father Traci Martin listens.

"My focus is getting justice for Trayvon, if it takes me the rest of my life. I am dedicated and committed to getting justice, so I can wait a year."

That's what Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, told Tell Me More's Michel Martin today, when Michel raised the potential that the trial against George Zimmerman could go on for a year.

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The Salt
4:48 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

The Cuban Sandwich Crisis Has A Winner: Tampa

Credit Scott Finn for NPR
The winning Cuban from Tampa, in all its cheesy, salty glory.

After an admirable effort by the upstart Miami Cuban community, the people have chosen Tampa as the true home of the Cuban sandwich.

More than 7,200 people voted here at The Salt, and the results speak for themselves: 57 percent chose Tampa, 43 percent went for Miami as the first city of the Cuban sandwich.

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U.S.
4:26 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Senate Debates Plan To Keep Post Offices Running

Credit Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Hikers arrive at the post office in Caratunk, Maine, in 2011. Some of the rural post offices the U.S. Postal Service may close are relied on by Appalachian Trail hikers for supply drops on their trip from Georgia to Maine.

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 8:28 pm

The U.S. Postal Service is so much a part of this country, it's in the Constitution. And yet with so much written communication now delivered via email, text messages and the Internet, the Postal Service is steadily losing business and operating in the red.

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Music Reviews
4:24 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

The Sound Man Behind The Soul Of The Nation's Capital

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Eccentric Soul: A Red Black Green Production (the cover detail of the album is above) revisits the influence of producer Robert Williams on the 1970s soul scene in Washington, D.C.

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 10:07 pm

Most people wouldn't think of Washington, D.C., as one of R&B's great cities. Despite the fact that soul music greats Marvin Gaye and Roberta Flack grew up in D.C. neighborhoods, the city never had the equivalent of Detroit's Berry Gordy and Motown, or Memphis' Willie Mitchell and Hi Records. But in the early 1970s, D.C. did have producer Robert Williams and his Red, Black and Green Productions. A new compilation album called Eccentric Soul: A Red Black Green Production revisits Williams' influence on the sound of R&B in D.C.

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Business
4:14 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

The Wal-Mart Dilemma: When Is A Payment A Bribe?

Credit Daniel Aguilar / Getty Images
A shopper examines produce at a Wal-Mart store in Mexico City. Wal-Mart's expansion into Mexico has been a major success, but its business practices have raised new questions.

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 10:10 am

Allegations that Wal-Mart officials in Mexico paid local authorities to speed up permits to build new stores could result in a trial and a huge financial penalty under a U.S. anti-corruption law. But legal experts who spoke to NPR have their doubts it will ever come to that.

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Shots - Health Blog
4:04 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Doctor Pay: Where The Specialists Are All Above Average

Credit iStockphoto.com

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 4:42 pm

Making a living practicing medicine is more complicated and frustrating than ever. But it still pays. And pretty well.

A survey of more than 24,000 doctors conducted online for Medscape, a doctor-oriented information service of WebMD, finds that their average annual pay ranges from $156,000 for pediatricians, the lowest-paid specialty, to $315,000 for the top earners.

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Africa
3:19 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Charles Taylor Faces Verdict From Brutal African War

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 1:12 pm

A court in the Netherlands is set to deliver a verdict Thursday in a case involving a former head of state charged with international war crimes.

Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia, is on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague, Netherlands. He is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity — including murder, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers — in neighboring Sierra Leone.

Tens of thousands died during Sierra Leone's vicious civil war, one that was infamous for the brutal hacking off of limbs.

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The Two-Way
3:17 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Bernanke: Fed Remains Ready To Act, If Necessary

Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke listens to a question from a reporter during a press briefing at the Federal Reserve building on Wednesday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed is ready to implement "balance sheet actions if necessary."

That means if the Federal Open Market Committee feels that the economic recovery is in danger, it is ready to implement a third round of quantitative easing, or bond purchases intended to bring down long-term interest rates and spur borrowing and spending.

"If appropriate... we remain entirely prepared to take additional action," the chairman said. "We will not hesitate to use them."

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The Picture Show
3:15 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Live From Mount Everest: A Blog!

Credit Cory Richards / Courtesy of National Geographic
Conrad Anker descends an ice step in the Khumbu Icefall with a fixed rope.

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:51 am

As I write this, it's about 1 a.m. in Nepal and, according to National Geographic magazine's iPad app, a group of climbers is camped on the side of Mount Everest, possibly sleeping (though we can't be totally sure), at nearly 21,000 feet. They expect to make a final summit push in early May.

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It's All Politics
2:52 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

RNC Seeks To Contrast Serious Romney With Slow Jammin' Obama

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 2:54 pm

President Obama's urbane coolness, viewed by many as an attractive feature of his personality, was part of the joke Tuesday night when he appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, including in the "slow jammin' the news" segment.

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Education
2:15 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Parents Hold Bake Sales To Pay Teachers

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 3:06 pm

After years of cuts to public school budgets across the country, many districts are relying on parents to pay for classroom supplies, extracurricular activities and even teacher salaries. But some worry that uneven distribution of funds will widen disparities between schools and between districts.

The Two-Way
2:12 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Survey Shows Uncertainty In Reporting Suspicious Activity

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 5:17 pm

At airports, train stations and other public places across the nation, the Department of Homeland Security's "See Something, Say Something" campaign has encouraged people to report suspicious activity in an effort to prevent terrorist attacks. But a recent government survey found citizens are not jumping in to report others.

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Europe
2:08 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Anders Breivik Awaits Sentence In Norway

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 3:06 pm

Anders Breivik testified that he was sane during his shooting and bombing spree, but argues that he did not commit a crime. He hoped they would force Norway to change its policy on immigration. Peter Talos, a reporter for the Norwegian News Agency, talks about what this case has meant for Norway.

Politics
1:45 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

As Gingrich Fades, Eyes Turn To VP Picks

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 3:06 pm

Mitt Romney swept all five primaries on Tuesday, solidifying his hold on the GOP presidential nomination. Newt Gingrich made a last stand in Delaware, but came up short and aides to the former House speaker say he plans to suspend his campaign soon and will likely endorse Romney.

Law
1:41 pm
Wed April 25, 2012

Supreme Court Hears Immigration Arguments

Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 3:06 pm

SB 1070, the Arizona immigration law that requires local police to question and detain people suspected of being in the country illegally, has served as a model for similar legislation. Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune Supreme Court correspondent David Savage listened in on the arguments.

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